The Price of Freedom
by Mockin'Jai
Summary: A new year, A new start, A change for all. When Raven Potter, a tomboy with not a lot of magical talent, joins Hogwarts things start to look up for one Slytherin boy with his life in the pits. But how far will things get before the trouble begins?
1. The First Glance

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters. Only Raven Potter belongs to me.

**Story Details: **Hogwarts-era, 6th year of Harry and co., Alternate Universe (the Potters survived Voldemorts attack at Godrics Hollow, after that events after novel #4 never happened; Cedric Diggory didn't die, Harry won the Tri-Wizard tournament, Voldemort was not resurrected, and there was no war.) Year 5 was filled with regular teenage drama for all.) The room of requirement was discovered randomly last year and everyone knows about it (but keeps it secret form the teachers and Filch of course.)

**Summary: **Raven Potter (the younger sister of Harry Potter) joins Hogwarts for her 5th year (the regular gangs 6th year). A major tomboy with little magical ability, no friends and a brother that doesn't seem to give a crap, Raven turns to someone who seems to almost understand and is willing to listen. But how far will there friendship go before things go too far, and trouble begins to stir.

Draco Malfoy stood on platform 9 ¾ waiting for the train to arrive to take him to Hogwarts for his 6th year. As usual he was on his own, waiting. His 'friends' hadn't yet arrived and his parents were to 'busy' to come and see him off.

Boredom took hold and he started rocking back and forth on his heels, hands stuffed in the pockets of his trousers as the platform slowly filled with people. For reasons unknown to him people avoided him, kept their distance, leaving him to his own destructive thoughts. And today they were exactly that. They ate away at his mind and his carefully kept control. He was glad to get away from the manor house and from his parents, from his summer prison. He hated the place – all the space, and all the rooms yet he could never get away from his fathers prying eyes.

Draco felt himself becoming angrier and angrier as he thought about it. In an effort to calm himself he started looking around the platform. Glancing absently in all directions he noticed nothing of any interest happening. He looked around again anyway having nothing better to do until the train arrived and he would spend the next few hours being harassed by his house mates.

He looked down the platform watching all the students faces, covered in a mixture of emotions. Excitement for the first years - going to such a historic school and learning all new kinds of magic. Resignation of the sixth and seventh years – going back yet again for 13 gruelling weeks of non-stop torment from students and teachers alike. All this with everything in-between for the rest.

Then he spotted her. Standing alone like him twirling a strand of long black hair around her finger her other hand in the pocket of her purple hoody. She must have sensed him staring at her as she looked at him, piercing violet eyes meeting his and she smiled a shy, sweet smile before turning away quickly her black curls fanning out behind her as she walked further down the platform.

Someone walked in front of him to the edge of the platform. When they had passed the girl was gone. She'd disappeared like a ghost, a hallucination of his tortured mind.

At that moment the train arrived screeching to a halt, shaking Draco out of his thoughts of the raven haired girl he'd seen only moments before. He slowly stepped onto the train, took a seat in his usual place and waited (yet again) for the others to arrive.

He leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes the image of the girl appearing behind his eye lids. _Who was she?_ He thought, curiosity taking hold. _Was she even real?_

Raven left her parents and brother at the entrance to platform 9¾ as they struggled with the trolleys. She left her belonging with them and moved towards the edge of the platform looking out for the train and for a new nightmare to begin. 'New school, new start' her parents had said. Yeah right, it would be the same as Beauxbatons but with boys thrown into the mix. Nothing would change. But she was used to the comments and the laughs after enduring it for 4 years at her old school. Hogwarts would be no different, or so she thought. That opinion would change over the course of several months all because of one person.

Her sneakers squeaked slightly against the tiled floor of the platform, her hands in her pockets as she wandered to the edge of the platform and looked out.

Without thinking Raven pulled a hand out of her pocket and started absently twirling a curl of hair around her index finger. Usually she had her hair tied back in her trademark purple and silver ribbon which now lay in the pocket of her hoodie, but today she had left it down not wanting the hassle of having to keep it up.

Raven looked up when she felt someone watching her. She looked through the crowds trying to pin point the one source. She spotted the guy further up the platform, standing on his own, hands in his pockets a look of confusion on his face. Raven smiled nervously at him hoping for some kind of reaction, but got none. He just kept staring at her with his slate grey eyes and even from here she could see the mix of feeling in them. Pain, confusion, longing, but she didn't understand any of them. His platinum bangs fell over his forehead and Raven thought 'his hair must be dyed, or maybe bleached'

"Raven!" she heard her father shout. Raven turned quickly and headed back towards the voices of her parents. She found them, already having her and her brothers trunks loaded onto the train. She picked up her rucksack, swung it over one shoulder and followed her brother onto the train where he walked to one specific compartment where a ginger kid and a girl with bushy brown hair were already sitting.

'Great', Raven thought, looking at the three of them already talking animatedly. 'Happy go lucky bastards, what have they got to be so happy about? What's so great about going to this school?', but she went and sat down anyway, having nowhere else to go. Raven lent her head against the cold glass of the window and dozed off as the train pulled away from the platform.

Unknown to her, Hogwarts would change her life. Forever.


	2. Who Are We?

Hey guys,

Just to let you know, some characters may seem a bit OOC (out-of-character), but that's because most of the story is going to be told from Ravens side of things so it's how she see the people, which is not necessarily how you know them.

Also thanks to my Beta reader Opal Redverne, without whom this story would be unreadable as my spelling and grammar is atrocious. If anyone needs a Beta ask her, she is amazing.

Please R&R (read-and-review) with your thoughts or _constructive _criticisms.

Now on with the story. ENJOY!

The Hogwarts express pulled into the platform a small distance away from the castle itself. Raven pulled her head off the glass, stood up, stretched lazily and rolled her neck to ease out the kink she developed from leaning against the window for the entire train journey. She turned around to say something to her brother when she realised he and his friends had gone and left the train without her.

_Thanks for waiting bro. _Raven thought as she picked up her luggage, dragged it out of the compartment and made her way off the train and onto the platform. Most people were already either in the carriages on their way to the school or at the school already, so she was one of the last out with only a few stragglers for company.

Raven ignored them, kept her head down and followed them towards the few remaining carriages. One rolled away, the people inside chattering loudly. Raven waited for the next one to stop; it was the last of the night and Raven thanked Merlin she managed to get there or she would have had to walk to the school and that did not sound like fun, especially in a strange place like this. Not to mention it was already past dusk and the only light came from the stars and the moon in the pitch black sky.

One of the other carriages stopped and Raven grabbed hold of the bar around the edge and made to get in. As she stepped up her sneakers slipped on the wet ground and she fell on her knees in a puddle, water seeping through her jeans, splashing small bits of mud up as she let go of her luggage. It sunk down into the wet dirt with a sickening squelching sound, making the ground around Raven dip. Before she could pull herself up a pale hand appeared before her face.

"Need a hand?" asked her benefactor. Raven wiped her hands on her trousers quickly, dismissing the dirt, to clean them of mud and silently put her hand in his (the voice made her presume it was a guy) and let him pull her up. Without a word of thanks she bent down and tried to wipe some of the mud from the knees of her jeans but only succeeded in smearing it around, widening the brown splotches on the dark fabric.

"Oh, fuck it!" she swore to herself, grabbed her trunk, yanked it out of the mud and yanked the dirty handle so the luggage dragged behind her. She got into the carriage this time without slipping and sat down on one of the benches inside.

Her helper also got in and sat opposite her. Without looking up Raven muttered a small 'thank you' while brushing some small flecks of mud off her indigo (and now brown speckled) hoodie.

"You alright?" she was asked.

"I'm fine." She replied shortly finally looking up at the guy. It was _him._ The guy from the platform. Raven turned away quickly, looking in the direction the carriage was going, trying to avoid his stare. He watched her intently for a few moments before leaning forward slightly.

"I'm Draco. What about you?" he casually asked, seemingly unfazed by the awkward atmosphere surrounding Raven. She didn't reply for a minute just sat there under his slate-grey stare. Raven didn't get on well with people in general, so having someone talk to her and actually expect a reply was a new thing, and not one Raven was entirely comfortable with. Raven tucked a stray curl behind her ear, trying to hide her nervousness before thinking, _oh to hell with it, might as well get this over with, the ride will go quicker this way rather than just ignoring him. _

Raven pulled the silver-threaded purple ribbon out of her pocket and proceeded to tie back her dark, loose ringlets into a tight ponytail, running her hands over it slowly to smooth down any bumpy bits.

Draco watched the movements with a strange scrutiny as if trying to judge what kind of person she was from that simple act alone. _Yeah. Good luck with that. He knows nothing about me and I doubt he ever will_, a voice in the back of Raven's head remarked snidely.

She looked up at him, giving nothing away in her expression and simply said "Raven". One word and all the awkward tension in the carriage seemed to disappear between the two almost-strangers. He smiled at her and it lit up his pale face. Raven couldn't help a small smile back.

Draco pushed his long platinum bangs off of his forehead as he said, "Nice name. It suits you."

Raven rolled her eyes at his comment as the carriage slowed to a stop and the gates around the school closed, sealing the protective charm around the entire campus. She pulled her luggage from under her seat and, lifting it with only minor difficulty, jumped out of the carriage, causing little bits of mud to splash up, making Draco recoil slightly to avoid being hit by the flying muck.

He stepped carefully out of the carriage and walked around the mud with an unexpected grace. Raven, uncaring of the dirt seeing as she was already splattered with it, walked straight through it, not bothering to avoid any of it. Draco let out a small laugh as she trudged along next to him as they headed into the castle and towards the great hall.

They walked quietly next to each other, as a comfortable silence hung in the air. Raven matched pace with Draco and was surprised at how familiar he already seemed. Neither spoke; there was no need. Words would have destroyed the safe feeling they were both experiencing. They were almost strangers but that didn't seem to matter to either of them.

They reached to great hall and Draco left Raven to go sit at the Slytherin table where his house mates had saved him a seat. Raven walked towards the front of the hall, towards her imminent sorting. _This isn't going to end well, _she thought as she walked between the long tables running the length of the hall.

As she walked ever closer to the hat, Raven heard the whispers start amongst the students.

"Look at her!" came from one end of the hall.

"What's she wearing?" another whispered to a nearby friend, but Raven heard it all.

"She almost looks like a boy dressed like that."

"Yeah and all that mud on her clothes. Not very ladylike is she."

And on it went, following Raven through the room until the room was practically buzzing with conversation by the time she finally reached the stool set at the front of the hall with the sorting hat sat upon it, moving slightly as she watched. The odd snicker sounded through the comments of the other students. Raven gritted her teeth and blocked out the comments, not letting them get to her, or at least she tried to. It was nothing she wasn't used to. The girls at Beauxbatons had been no different, only they tended to say it to her face not behind her back.

Raven sat on the stool as the professor she presumed to be Headmaster (he sat in the middle of the professors table and looked rather old) tapped a spoon against his crystal goblet, the ring echoing through the grand hall signalling for all to be silent. The chatter died down and the hat was placed upon Raven's head.

Raven looked at her feet and ignored the hats jabbering about her suitability of different houses before it shouted "GRYFFINDOR!" Weak applause came from the Gryffindor table as she hopped off the stool and walked over to the table. She shoved her trunk under the table, but before she sat down Raven looked at the faces of her new 'house mates'. None of them looked pleased to have her in their house. Well, no one except her brother, who looked smug, Raven glared at him. He laughed behind his hand, and Raven snapped. Reaching beneath the table, she snatched her trunk and roughly pulled it up, not caring that she jogged the table. She took one last look at her so-called '_house mates_'. High-up, snotty nosed boys and girls who only cared about looks and success. _Disgusting_. Raven turned from the table and stalked out of the hall, leaving the looks, the whispers, the sniggers behind.

"Miss Potter! Miss Potter! Return to your seat! At once!" she heard one of the female professors call after her, but Raven kept walking until she could no longer hear the old bat screeching. Raven wandered aimlessly through the corridors of the school, not knowing where she was going, trying to forget the looks people had given her in the hall – disgust, disdain, shock that someone like _her _would end up in _their_ house.

Raven dropped her trunk and leaned against the corridor's wall, resting her forehead against the cool stone. The anger she had felt in the hall began to boil in Ravens blood, her breathing grew ragged and her heart sped up. _Control Raven! Keep control! Don't let them get to you! _A part of her said, trying to calm her down to no effect. _They look down on me, when they deck themselves out in glory, pretending to be better than others just because they're in this house instead of that one. They look at the world through rose tinted glasses, with their idealistic views, prejudice and hatred. What good will your looks do in the future? They think that I want to be here? They can keep their goddamned houses and house mates and stupid, ridiculous, pompous attitudes This school's full of fucking bastards. _In an attempt to vent her anger and calm herself down Raven turned to the nearest wall and slammed her fist into it with as much force as she could muster. The old bricks dented and brick dust floated down to settle on her mud covered sneakers.

"Wow. This kitten's got claws!" a voice said behind her. Raven turned and swung wildly at the person behind her. A platinum head ducked at the last second, the blow ruffling his hair. Draco straightened up, smoothed back his hair and looked warily at Raven in case she took another shot. And she wanted to. How she _wanted_ to. He was part of this, this stupid analytical school, pretending he's better than others, wearing snotty robes. Raven felt the vicious urge to beat this _boy_ in front of her, to slam and break him, but suppressed the urge. Slowly unclenching her fist Raven felt blood trickle between her fingers and drip off of the ends of her shredded knuckles.

As they entered the great hall Draco left Raven to go sit at the Slytherin table as she walked towards Professor McGonagall and the sorting hat. He watched her carefully as she walked, hearing the murmurs start at his table with the 6th years.

"What is she wearing?" Pansy Parkinson asked the other girls sitting around her further up the table in her nasal, petty voice.

Daphne and Astoria Greengrass shrugged "She looks like a boy." One of the sisters said quietly.

Draco heard similar conversations start up all around the hall, some quiet and some criticising boldly and loudly. He knew that these whispers and comments would be feeding the rumour mill for the next year. He felt sorry for the girl. When he looked at Raven again he noted the frustration, almost hidden behind the mask she'd made her face into, trying to seem, to all the world, unaffected by the comments, as if they just rolled past her ears without her hearing them. He knew the trick well; he used it all the time at the manor when dealing with his father.

He watched the sorting and the walk to the Gryffindor table. He saw her shoulders tense and was surprised when she turned and walked out of the hall.

"Miss Potter! Miss Potter! Return to your seat! At once!" McGonagall shouted after Raven as she left the hall without a word. The angered Professor made to follow the girl as she disappeared from sight round a corner, but was stopped by Dumbledore.

The chatter started up again throughout the hall and, using the distraction to his advantage, Draco slipped out of the hall unnoticed and started off after the pissed off Gryffindor. He would have lost her if not for the muddy footprints trailing down the corridors.

He caught up to her, trunk at her feet, just as she turned to a nearby wall and punched it with a look of sheer anger on her face, the wall denting under the force of the blow, a small cloud of brick dust floating down onto the floor.

"Wow, this kitten's got claws!" Draco said in an effort to get her attention. It worked. Raven turned quickly, her ponytail flaring out as she spun, and without warning swung at Draco. He managed to duck, barely avoiding being punched in the face (again, after Granger in the 3rd year). After a few seconds she visibly relaxed and unclenched her fist. Draco stood up slowly, righted his hair and looked at Ravens hand, noting the blood dripping from her knuckles.

Raven looked down at her hand, blood slowly flowing from the wounds on her knuckles, the shredded skin hanging off in small strips. Raven, strangely, didn't feel any pain, just looked at the wounds and noted the damage absently as if looking at someone else's hand.

"Let's get to Madame Pomfrey. I'm sure she still in the gr..." Draco stopped mid-sentence when Raven slowly brought her hand to her face and began to gently lick the wounds, stemming the flow of blood, leaving only the broken skin to deal with.

When all the blood was gone Raven blinked few times as she dropped her hand to her side and looked up at Draco, but not before her eyes cleared fully.

Draco thought he saw wrong, but he swore when she looked at him her pupils had been small vertical slits, her violet irises practically glowing.

"Holy shit! What are you?" Draco asked, horror written across his pale face. Raven's eyes widened as she realised what she had done. She turned her head sharply as she heard people approaching a few corridors down and tried to make a run for it. She jogged down the corridor hoping he wouldn't follow. Unfortunately things weren't going her way tonight as he grabbed her and pushed her against the wall, any chance of escape blocked by Draco's body as he pinned her with his weight.

"Let me go." Raven said through gritted teeth, pushing at his shoulders to make him move away, but Draco stayed firm giving her no leverage.

"Tell me what you are. You're not human." Draco demanded leaning in further until their faces were only centimetres apart, meaning only Raven would be able to hear if anyone else had been around. "I said, tell me what the fuck you are!"

Raven calmed her breathing and forced her heart rate to slow. To phase out now would only mean more trouble.

"Ok." Raven consented. "But not here, not when other people are near."

Draco looked at her confused for a moment before letting her go as students started to file into the corridor. He took her wrist and led them to a door at the end of the corridor they were currently standing in. The door lead them to the astronomy tower; no-one would be there this late in the evening Draco was sure. This new girl interested him; he wanted to know more about her and was adamant to get some answers. He carefully opened the door to avoid it creaking and drawing attention to them, ushered her inside and followed silently.

When they reached the top platform he leaned against a nearby wall and waited for Raven to explain exactly what was happening.

"Go on." He prompted her.

Raven let out a slow breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding. _Is it really that hard to tell someone what you are? His reaction can't be that bad. _A part of her brain said. Raven looked over the side of the tower at the trees below, not wanting to look at Draco as she confessed, "I'm a Shifter. A…Shape-shifter."


	3. It's The Truth

Hey guys, sorry for the wait, have a lot going on at home and school at the moment so it's hard to find time to write. but chapter 4 should be up soon (i hope). i know i don't update very often and the chapters are quite shote, but please stick with it, it gets better trust me.

thanks again to my beta OpalRedverne. this story would be unreadable without you.

Draco looked at Raven, confused about her revelation. "You mean an Animagus?" he asked quietly, watching her profile in the soft light of the moon. In the silver glow Draco could see the worry and nerves all over her face, from the subtle things like how her eyes couldn't seem to stay on one spot for very long and kept flicking around at the grounds below the tower, to the more obvious one's like how she bit her lower lip every few seconds as if stopping herself from speaking.

Raven let out a slow breath but continued looking over the edge of the tower as she spoke. "It's like one, but... but different." Was all she said, though Draco could tell she wasn't revealing everything. Raven let out a deep breath and decided to just jump in with both feet and hope to swim not sink. Raven opened her mouth and then there was no stopping her words. "As a shape-shifter I can take on an animal form, just like an Animagus. But unlike an Animagus my animal form can influence my human one from time to time." While speaking Raven had taken her hands off the railings around the tower and waved them around idly as she spoke. "I can also take on a form that is half way in between with some parts animal and some human." She paused for breath and turned to look at him leaning against the twisted metal of the railing. "You've got to see it like this; an Animagus is a human that can turn into an animal, whereas a shape-shifter is an animal that can turn into a human. For me it's a black panther." Raven's violet eyes held real fear about his reaction to all this.

Draco ran a hand through his hair and for a moment just concentrated on the wind softly blowing against his face. He considered how to approach this. "I'm not gonna have to buy you a litter box, am I?" He said, trying to inject a bit of humour into the tense situation. Raven laughed at this. It was a small quiet sound but it eased the tension none the less.

She gently shook her head. "Mmmm."

She thought about his reaction. _Better than you thought, right? Well, he took it better than the others anyway._ A little voice in the back of her mind purred. Raven mentally slapped herself.

"What am I doing?" She groaned, turning away so he was facing her back. She rested her folding arms on the railing and buried her head in the crook of her left elbow. Quietly, she continued. "I mean I've never told anyone this before, let alone a practical stranger."

"Then why _are_ you telling me?" Draco asked, taking a few steps forward, slowly closing the gap between them.

Raven sighed. "I don't know." She searched for the right words. "I feel… as though I can… _trust_ you." Slowly she turned around so they were facing each other once again, waiting for her reaction.

Draco was silent for a moment as he processed her words. _I feel as though I can trust you. _Trust him. No-one had said that to him before. He wasn't the sort of person people usually trusted. Slytherins were notorious for being deceitful and malicious, not to mention selfish and ruthless. But this girl barely knew him and was revealing a secret she hadn't told anyone before, trusting him when no-one else would. _That can't be right. Perhaps something to look into at some later date. But…maybe this was one secret I could really, truthfully keep. We'll see._ Draco shook his head.

"So, what about the rest of it?" he glanced over at Raven, holding her gaze. "Your physiology, that is." The Slytherin asked, intrigued.

"Well…I have the same muscles and organs an' stuff as you do, they just…work better, I suppose." Raven explained, comfortable that he wasn't freaking out about all that she had told him so far, nor that he was trying to run in fear. Instead he just looked interested, as if he were sitting in a class lecture, waiting for the professor to carry on talking. It was strange to hold someone's attention for a good reason and not having them insult her or hex her into oblivion. "I mean, all of the functions are increased generally, but specific strengths vary between 'shifters'. The most adept for me are sight and sound."

Draco moved so he was balanced against the railing next to her. _He's quite tall isn't he?_ One of the voices in Raven's head commented. It was only when Raven had to look up to meet his eye that she noticed just how much taller than her he was. The top of her head only came up to his chin. He must have been around 6 foot.

"What can you see now?" he whispered to her, jolting her out of her thoughts. Raven mentally slapped herself again and noticed just how dark it had become; clouds had raced to cover the waxy moon while she had been staring. She turned back to the grounds and squinted.

Raven looked out over the grounds of the school and turned her head slowly. "There's some kind of building down at the edge of the forest, I can see its silhouette against the trees." She stated, deceptively calm while her blush was hidden in the night, and continued looking around. "This place is quite beautiful isn't it; I wonder what it would look like during the day."

Raven gazed wonderingly at the grounds below, and surrounding, the tower, getting her first look at Hogwarts. She could pick out acres of dark purple grass and smoky clouds reflected by the glassy lake that looked like spilt ink, a circular arena bedecked with colourful flags rising up to the West. She let out a satisfied breath, and watched the white vapour blow away in the breeze. Draco looked out as well but saw nothing but black upon grey upon black.

"What about hearing?" he asked curios about Raven's other abilities.

Raven shivered, but stilled and closed her eyes, concentrating on the sounds around her. Her breathing slowing remarkably as she focused on listening to everything; the tiny chirps of night birds, accompanied by the staccato of horses' hooves. An underlying melody of rustling trees and the dusty beating of bats' wings accompanied the distant sounds of new and old Hogwarts students chatting in the corridors, blending together until the sounds were indistinguishable, like the pitter-patter of rain beating on a window. "There's not much to hear at the moment." She almost whispered, concentrating again. Slowly she turned towards Draco, opened her eyes and with a small smile said, "You're nervous." It was a statement not a question.

"No I'm not." Draco started getting defensive.

"Yes, you are. I can hear your heartbeat." She started tapping out a fast rhythm on the railing with one hand while the other reached up and tentatively rested on his chest over his heart, her hand matched his heart beat exactly. She stared at it, slowly ghosting her fingers across the Slytherin badge on his uniform, watching the metal, which seemed almost aglow. "It's okay that you're nervous. I understand."

Draco rested his hand over her's on his chest. "I'm not scared of _you_, Raven." Even as he said it he felt his heart slow, as did the tapping. His other hand came up to cup her chin and turn her face up towards him. "What is there to be scared of?"

Raven knew it was a rhetorical question and so remained quiet. Her hand still lay on his chest and his lay over hers. Suddenly the cloud cover broke, and the full moon bathed them in a ghostly pale light, painting Raven's face china white, radiant. Transfixed, Draco lent down and Raven froze as he made to kiss her, warm breath mingling. It seemed as if someone had muted the world, as the sounds that had accompanied her all her life faded, and all her brilliant eyes could see was the boy's face, and his dark eyes, filled with a mysterious emotion, swirling and troubled. Time stopped.

When their lips were only a centimetre apart, a high pitched, elderly male voice suddenly sounded through the tower. "Will all students please make their way to their dormitories immediately. Lights out will be in 15 minutes."

The clocks moved and the moon his behind the wispy clouds again, ashamed. Her face scarlet, Raven quickly stepped away from Draco. "We better get going." She said trying to keep the nervous shake out of her voice. He had been about to kiss her, she knew it. If not for that professor he would have. Raven started down the stairs of the tower with Draco at her heels. His breath seemed too loud as they hurried down the steps. When they reached to bottom Raven spotted her trunk which she had dragged to the base of the tower but had been unable to get it up the stairs. She grasped the handle and was about to walk away but stopped and turned back to Draco who had just reached the bottom of the stairs. Raven hesitated a moment, but made a decision. "Would you mind helping me get to my common room? I don't actually know where it is." Raven asked shyly, embarrassed by her ignorance, ducking her head in annoyance at the way she was acting.

Draco smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. The moment had passed, and now he was only doing his duty as a gentleman. "Sure." He turned and walked down the corridor towards the massive stair well. "This way." Raven hurried after him, pulling her trunk behind her.

"Where did you go before this?" He asked out of the blue, a hint of friendliness colouring his emotionless tone. "I mean what school?"

Without thinking, Raven answered. "Beauxbatons." She scowled and said nothing more. Draco took the hint and remained silent. Obviously it was a sensitive subject, not one she wanted to talk about.

As they got to the bottom of the first flight of stairs Raven looked up, only slightly surprised that some of the staircases where moving. Before Raven could start pulling her trunk up the stairs Draco pulled out his wand and levitated it, making it follow them as they walked up to the 7th floor. He stopped in front of a moving portrait of a rather fat lady clad in a pearlescent dress, sleeping what would have been daintily had the action been repeated by a lady half her girth.

"Here we are. Entrance to the Gryffindor commons."

"Thanks." Raven said quietly.

"It was no trouble." Draco hesitated, then smiled a true smile at her and Raven couldn't help but grin in return. Without breaking eye contact, he lowered her trunk to the ground next to the portrait. Gently, Draco took her hand in his and brought it up to his lips and kissed the back, glancing up from beneath his lashes. _Like a true gentleman,_ the other said in Ravens head. "Au revoir, mademoiselle."

Flushing again, she snatched her hand back and rolled her eyes at him. Raven had been at a school in Paris for four years so she spoke fluent French. _Smart arse, _she thought before turning to the portrait. "Yeah. See you later."

The lady smacked her lips before raising her head sleepily. "Password." The portrait asked.

"No idea." Raven told the picture. "New student, so I haven't been told yet."

The portrait studied her for a moment before shaking her head indicating that she couldn't let Raven through. Raven could swear she was smirking a little.

"Fine, then. Get hold of my brother, he'll let me in. Harry Potter." Raven told the fat lady. Nothing happened, and Raven heard quiet footsteps behind here indicating that Draco had left to go to his own commons. A minute later the portrait swung open and Harry stood there in his red and gold pyjamas; black hair tousled as always, his glasses dangling from his fingers. He looked at her for a few second before ushering Raven inside without a word. She walked past him and spotted a red haired girl at the bottom of the stairs.

"That's Ginny." Harry said motioning to the red head in the way of an introduction. "She's in your dormitory." With that he walked away and went back up the stairs to his own room, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand, grumbling. Raven followed the girl named Ginny silently up to their room, still dragging her trunk along.

Ginny opened the heavy wooden door to a room and a wave of warmth and sound assaulted Raven. There were three other girls in the room, most likely all fifth years. They had all gathered on one bed, and were bouncing and squealing in delight at some kind of light display coming from a white painted lantern balanced on the sheets. No-one paid Raven any attention as she walked to the only empty bed in the room, pushed her trunk underneath after pulling out a pair of black cotton pyjamas and pulled the curtains around her bed shut. Quietly Raven got changed and curled up beneath the covers to sleep, shutting out the noise and light of the other girls talking and laughing. Exhausted from the day's events, Raven drifted off to sleep soon after, leaving the real world of worry and pain for the small world inside her head.

_She dreamed of running, running through the forest around the school in her animal form, nothing but the dirt beneath her paws and the wind in her fur. Howling and laughing without fear of discovery. She dreamt, for the first time in her life, of blonde hair, green and silver, and sarcastic laughter. This was satisfaction, this was perfection, this was freedom…_

_A/N  
><em>Please read and review. no one has reviewed yet. will mention any reviewers in the next chapter. hope to put song references on each chapter from now on as well, so if you have any suggestions once you read a chapter mention it in a review and i will listen and add to the beginning of the chapter if i like.

Stick with me guy's. i have big plans for Draco and Raven, but you can only find out what by reading.


	4. The First Day

Raven awoke the next morning to the sound of silence in her room. She yawned and rolled over only to find bright sunlight penetrating the thick curtains around her bed. Slowly Raven sat up and opened one of the curtains and looked around at the room and the four other girls she shared it with.

They were all still asleep in there own beds. She recognised Ginny the one that had shown her to her room last night, her crimson hair falling around her shoulders framing her face. Her fringe fell off to the side.

The girl on the bed to Ravens right had cropped brown hair that sat in a rough bob that stopped at her chin, roughly layered and streaked with red fanned out across her red cotton pillow.

Opposite Raven lay a girl with shoulder length black hair which covered most of her face as she had her head to the side so raven couldn't see.

The last girl in the room chose that moment to wake up looked at Raven just as Raven looked at her. She sat up in the bed by the door, stretched gracefully and shook out her honey blonde curls so they fell back onto her head in exactly the same position they had been when she had first woken up.

Raven ran a hand through her hair pushing it off her face; Raven swung her legs out of the bed while throwing back her covers. She stretched and yawned before slipping off the bed and pulling out her trunk to retrieve her uniform and a large towel. After rummaging around and finding what she wanted, ignoring her sleeping room mates for now, Raven hopped back onto her bed and made her way to the door.

"If you're heading for the showers," said the blonde girl quietly as not to disturb the others obviously having noticed the towel. "They're down the corridor and to the left, the only door with any sign on it." Then she turned away from Raven and proceeded to ignore her as she pulled a hair brush out of the small bag by her bed and delicately brush out her curls.

Raven followed the basic instructions she had been given and found the shower room, thankfully it was empty. After pulling off her pyjamas Raven walked into the nearest shower stall and turned on the hot water. The water gushed down her back, soaking her hair and refreshing her fully. Raven sigh, happy to be on her own with the water running over her. After what felt like hours, but could only have been minutes, Raven regretfully turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, towelled herself dry and put on her uniform, consisting of a white blouse and black waist coat with her houses logo on it, (when they had been pack all her clothes had had the universal Hogwarts logo on them, but now... ... got to love magic.) along with a pair of black trousers that were almost like skinny jeans except with a slight flare at the bottom to go over the top of her black and white trainers.

After folding up her pyjamas and towel Raven walked back to her room. As she approached the door she could hear voices on the other side, her room mates were now obviously awake.

Ginny looked at her as she opened the door and walked in and made a face as if to say 'there is no way you're going to get away with that as uniform'. Raven simply shrugged in reply.

The blonde looked up from the gilded hand mirror she held while using her wand to manipulate her hair into a complicated up do. "No way is McGonagall going to let you wear _that_ as uniform."

"Oh come off it Corina. McGonagall will let her off. She is Potter's sister after all." said the girl with the red streaked bob. "I'm Scarlet." She extended a hand which Raven didn't take but simply threw her stuff on her bed and grabbed a brush from her trunk. Scarlet introduced the others while raven yanked the brush through her messy tangled curls. "The posh blondes Corina... ..."

"Actually it's Korina. With a 'K'"

"... ... and the shy ones Phoebe. You already know Ginny." She nodded in the direction of the red headed Gryffindor who smiled at Raven. Raven smiled back tentatively as she picked her trademark purple and silver ribbon up off the bed and used it to pull her hair back into a tight ponytail.

"Come on then." said Ginny to all in the room, walking to the door with her bag on her shoulder. Raven grabbed her back pack and shoved in the books she knew were necessary for the day and followed the other girls out the door.

When they reached the common room Harry and the two from the train were standing near the entrance talking about something Raven wasn't privy to. Korina, Scarlet and Phoebe walked past and left the common room, no doubt heading for breakfast in the great hall. Raven stopped by her brother as it was clear they had been waiting for her and Ginny.

Harry slung an arm over Ravens shoulder as the left the common room via the portrait. "Morning sis, sleep well?"

Raven shrugged him off with a muttered "Fine." She stayed with her brother only because she had no idea which way to go, but she wasn't included in any conversation that took place. Although she did over hear the names of the other two. Ron and Hermione.

Raven followed her brother and co. into the great hall. Silently taking a seat at a secluded part of the table where there was no-one to bother her Raven took a slic of toast off the tray in the middle of the table and ate it slowly.

_Someone's looking at us,_ the other in her head said and Raven looked up to find the culprit that was upsetting her other.

That's when she noticed Draco looking at her from the other side of the hall. He sat with others from his year but wasn't participating in any conversation. A dark skinned boy who sat to his left nudged him forcing his say into the topic of there talking.

Raven watched for a moment longer before turning back to her food. _He likes us,_ the other stated.

"Don't be ridiculous" Raven told it out load causing a few Gryffindor near by to look at her with worry. Raven glared at them until they looked away.

_How can you be so sure? _The other questioned Raven.

She thought for a moment before replying, "He's a guy. Guys don't like me." She ended bluntly. Ending the conversation Raven picked up her bag and slipped it onto her shoulder. Sliding quickly and quietly out of her seat and making for the doors with a handful of other students making there way to lessons early.

"Hey Raven. Where are you going?" Harry called as she headed for the doors.

Raven sighed. "Potions." She answered without stopping. Just before she reached the doors footsteps approached and Ginny appeared next to her. Raven raised an eyebrow in question.

"Were in the same class," Ginny said. Letting Ginny take the lead the two girls walked towards the dungeons and the potions lab. They were the only two there and so stood outside the heavy wooden door and waited. A few awkward moments past when Ginny was about to say something to Raven but she was interrupted by loud jeers heading in there direction. Ginny rolled her eyes at the sound while Raven raised her eyebrow in question before turning round to see what the conversation was about.

"There go Malfoy and his group of delinquents again." Ginny muttered, as Raven tried not to stare at a certain blonde boy coming round the corner. As it turned out he only had one of his 'delinquents' with him at that point.

_You like him._ Her other stated

"No" she replied without realising which earned her an odd look from Ginny.

"What are you on about?"

Raven sighed. "Nothing" in that moment her eyes met with a pair of grey slate ones complete with a smirk, looking away quickly she scowled.

"How goes it Potter? Malfoy walked towards her followed by the dark skinned boy she saw earlier in the dining hall. The other boy smiled at Ginny and a small blush coated her cheeks. Raven picked up on this but remained quiet, instead she turned to Draco.

"Can't complain" she shrugged before crossing her arms and leaning against the wall, one foot on the wall supporting her. "So you're a Malfoy, failed to mention that one."

"Don't ask, don't tell" was his answer. Raven looked back at Ginny who was trying to avoid the other boys stare. Malfoy noticed as well, "careful Zabibi, don't want to be giving the Weaselette the wrong idea."

Zabini averted his eyes and followed Draco as he walked away. Raven looked at Ginny and smirked as the red head gazed wistfully down the corrider where the boys had just disappeared.

Before Raven could say anything to Ginny, the heavy wooden doors behind them opened allowing the two of them entrance to the classroom. She pulled her bag higher onto her shoulder and walked slowly into the classroom.

The room itself was dark, quite dimly lit, tables sat in the uniform order each with two stools facing the front and 2 cauldrons on stands in the centre. At the front of the room, on the wall, was an old style blackboard with 'Glamour Potions' written on it, obviously the focus of the days lesson. To the left of the blackboard sat a large wooden desk covered in books and pieces of paper. Behind the desk sat a man in black robes with shoulder length hair and a grim look on his face as he read over the papers on his desk.

"That's Professor Snape" Ginny whispered to Raven as they took seats in the back corner of the classroom so they wouldn't be noticed.

More students walked in and Raven leaned back in her chair so it lent against the stone wall behind her. The sound from the corridor stopped as soon as the 5th years appeared entered the classroom and the professor's eyes settled on the door.

The professor picked up his wand and with a few quick flicks, two piles of books on his desk levitated across the room and distributed themselves so each student had two books in front of them. A blank grey covered text book and a book called 'Intermediate Potion Making: OWL Revision'.

Once all the books had been given out Snape stood up and began to walk among the rows ensuring he had silence before he began speaking.

"Well, let's not waste any time with plesentries, and get straight to it. There will be no silly wandwaving or abuse of this lab. Any failure to comply will result in immediate detention."

Raven couldn't help the snigger at his tone. Snape spun quickly and stamped toward Raven his robes swirling behind him.

"Something you find funny Miss...?"

"Potter, sir." Raven answered his unasked question of her name.

"Ah, Miss Potter," Snape said voice filled with menace. Raven didn't look away from the man, she kept eye contact.

"He won't break us down her other said as a slow smile crept up the teacher's face.

"Well, as a new student, I don't yet know the extent of your abilities. So, tell me Miss Potter... What do you get if you mix powdered root of asphodel with an infusion of wormwood?"

'Is he serious' Raven thought, 'This is elementary stuff'. Raven smiled and shrugged "A potion",

Snape continued with another question choosing to ignore the snark in her tone, "Where would you look if I asked you to find me a bezoar?"

"In the cupboard" Raven inclined her head towards the door which she presumed let to the supply upboard.

"And what is the difference between Monkwood and Wolfsbain?"

"The name" Raven answered never breaking eye contact with the glaring teacher.

Snape cleared his throat before he said "we seem to have a comedian in our midst. Tell me Miss Potter, do you really know the answers to these questions?"

Raven's smile widened slightly "Of course professor".

Snape waved his hand indicating for her to go on.

"Well" Raven said before launching into a detailed explanation of what each of the mentioned substances was, how they were used and what happened when they were mixed. Throughout this the Snape's face went from being angry, to shocked, to pleased that he had a student that showed some measure of talent for potions.

After what seemed like an age, Raven stopped talking and looked the professor straight in the eye.

"Very impressive Miss Potter" was all he said as he walked back to the front of the classroom.

The lecture about glamour potions continued including a small section on Polyjuice potion which Raven found rather fascinating. By the end of the two hour lesson most students looked ready to fall asleep, but Raven was in her element, the only subject she hadat was potions because it didn't require any magic to actually be used, just magically influenced ingredients.

As Raven left the classroom with Ginny the redhead turned to her and sai d "well, that was quite impressive, seems's Snape's found his favourite for this year".

Raven just shrugged and walked with her to their next class, transfiguration. This should be fun, Raven's other took that moment to speak up. Yes it would be, and damn embarrassing.

Luckily when they reached the classroom they were early again, but Professor McGonagall called them in anyway.

"Miss Potter, I would like a quick word with you before the lesson starts. It's about last night at the sorting and about your ..." she paused trying to find the right word "your condition".

Raven rolled her eyes and perched on the edge of a desk at the front of the room. Ginny stood to the side listening as McGonagall spoke to Raven.

"It was very rude of you to walk out of the feast last night, but it was understandable. That however does not give you the right to damage school property".

Raven thought back to the hole in the wall she made last night.

"Also, your current uniform would be seen as inappropriate by many, but Professor Dumbledore, and therefore, I am going to allow you to continue wearing it like this due to your condition we felt you would be more comfortable like this".

Raven scoffed at that last bit, "my condition. You mean the fact that I'm a shapeshifter and that at any time I could lose control and so you don't want to upset me, is that it."

McGonagall looked at Raven who was gripping the edge of the desk she was sat on and the wood starting to crack. "It's not a disease you know, it's not something that can be gotten rid of with some kind of magic or medicine."

Before the bewildered professor could answer, Raven swung herself off the desk and pulled her bag higher on her shoulder and walked out of the classroom, past the crowds of students waiting for class to start. Raven kept walking even as she heard McGonagall calling after her.


	5. autors note

Authors Note:

Hey guys, soz for the waits but I'm afraid that due to exams my updates will be quite far apart.

Also this story will be temporarily discontinued, I feel that if I carry on writing it now it will not be as good as it can be.

But don't worry I will get back to it eventually (I hope).

In the mean time I will be writing a new story for Harry Potter. This one will be much darker but I ask you to stick with me and please read it.


	6. Understanding

Hey guys...yes I'm back

Told u I would be eventually. New inspiration for the fic has cropped up and I am going to be writing this again. Many apologies for the inconvenience of not writing for ages.

Well now...seems ages since I wrote this but...ON WITH THE STORY!

Weeks had passed and it hadn't got any better. It was almost Halloween and things were just getting worse. The teachers still treated her like a bomb that could go off at any moment. The students avoided her or purposefully tried to get a rise out of her to make her snap, to which they would laugh and walk away leaving her behind trembling with anger and fear.

She was sat in Transfiguration where they were learning the incantation to take on an Animagus form. As such Raven was sat at the back not able or allowed to partake in the lesson. That was until Professor McGonagall called her up to the front to demonstrate taking on an animal form, picking on her as she usually did in lessons. Raven tried to protest that it would not be the same because she didn't use the Animagus incantation but McGonagall insisted saying she would give her a detention if she failed to follow instructions.

She shook her head, scared of what would happen if she was forced to phase into her animal form remembering what had happened last time. _Yeah but she had deserved Raven _her other told her while Raven tried to block out the irritating little voice. McGonagall proceeded to give her a detention and then turned away to carry on with the lesson ignoring Raven once again. Using this to her advantage Raven picked up her bag and bolted from the classroom.

Raven ran from the classroom her breathing ragged, pushing the few wayward students out of her way as she stormed through the corridors uncaring of anyone else. _We have to get out of here. Too many people _her other told her. Raven sped up as the corridors thinned of students until she was practically sprinting through the school. She wasn't looking where she was going and so when she hit something solid she fell back and would have hit the floor if not for a pair of strong arms catching her round he waist and keeping her up.

Raven looked up, her face red from running and from the tears that now ran freely down her cheeks, and met the smoky eyes of Draco Malfoy.

"We just keep running into each other don't we." He said before noticing her tears. "Raven...?" he began to ask when a small voice came from the girl he was holding.

"Don't get too close Malfoy. You might get infected." A fresh wave of tears fell down her face as she tried to push him away, not wanting him to see her like this, but he held on despite her superior strength. Draco ignored the stares from students as they walked past and pulled Raven against him putting his arms around her as if shielding her from the mutterings and looks. _Why do I feel the need to protect her? _He wondered as he held her small form tightly against him.

Raven stiffened in his hold, her breath catching at his proximity. _Why do I feel like this? _She thought as her heart sped up even further. Her other stirred at feeling someone so close. _Not now_ Raven thought _Oh please God not now_. She tried to suppress the other and its urge to break free and run the flight instinct of any animal or to cling onto him like a life line, so wouldn't let her go.

"Draco." She pleaded quietly but he didn't respond, didn't let her go until the corridor was clear. Only then did he step back but kept his hands on her waist. Her breathing was still elevated and her face red, fear evident in her eyes. She was shaking. He looked at her worriedly. Over the past few weeks they had become friends. Maybe it was more than friendship he longed for as he thought about how much he now seemed to care about Raven, and wanting to protect her from any who wished to harm her.

"I need to get out of here" was all she said hoping he would understand. Thankfully he did. He held out his hand in silent invitation. Hesitantly she reached for it before pulling back.

"I'm not going to hurt you Raven." He took her hand gently and led her out of the castle and down to the edge of the black lake, to a secluded spot he often came to when he needed to be alone which lately had been quite often what with his father practically looming over him with there weekly letters about the 'expectations of a Malfoy'. He hated his father, he truly did, and it was likely that his father hated him just as much.

The place was a small patch of clear ground; the black lake on one side, thick trees on the other completely hidden from view. A fallen log lay in the area where Draco made Raven sit while he sat next to her.

"Raven, what happened?" he asked quietly after a minute went by in silence only broken by the lapping of the waves from the lake against the shore.

Raven had her head down and eyes closed tears still flowing freely. She didn't answer.

"Raven."

"It was McGonagall. She tried to force me to phase and show my animal form. The class was learning how to do the incantation to take on an Animagus form." She said quietly around the tears.

Draco became confused. "But you're not an Animagus."

Raven looked up at him. "I know that, and so does she but still she pushes me. Her and everyone else." She stood up and began to pace like a cat in a cage as anger took over the fear and sadness. That's what she reminded him of, a trapped animal wanting to break free, and such a beautiful animal. So graceful. So spirited. And yet she had been almost locked away, caged. It seemed they had tried to tame her to no success and instead just made her want to break away more.

She was muttering to herself as she paced almost as if she was having a conversation with herself. Her 'other' as she had called it Draco realised. It was talking to her. All the time spent suppressing it had only made it stronger, so much so that it was almost like a separate entity sharing Ravens body. He could only imagine what it must be like. He only caught snippets of the conversation.

"No I'm not going to...you can't...what will he say...i don't want a repeat of last time." She paced faster clenching and unclenching her fists, getting more and more frustrated with each passing moment.

Draco stood up and made his way over to her worry beginning to set in as her knuckles turned white from how tight she clenched her fists. She didn't notice him until she turned around and his hands grabbed her shoulders to stop her from walking. She was still muttering "I can't...what if he reacts as the others did? I just can't" The question must have gone unanswered as she didn't say anything else.

"Who reacts? To what?" he asked. She wouldn't look at his face instead focussing on the ground. "Raven look at me." he encouraged lightly. "Please."

Raven slowly looked up, her eyes how they were the first night at Hogwarts, the violet irises practically glowing in the dim light around them as it was getting dark, the pupils narrowed to slits. It scared him for a moment before his calm returned. He noticed that Raven dropped a mask over her expression trying to hide her emotions her eyes still luminescent.

"Why do you do that Raven?" he asked her. "Why do you try to hide your emotions?"

"I'm scared." was her whispered reply. He waited for her to continue. "I'm scared of people seeing who I really am, the shape-shifter side. I'm scared of hurting people...of hurting you." She looked up at him then meeting his slate grey gaze as he looked down at her in shock. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." Raven shook her head as if she could some how take the words back.

Draco tilted her head up to look at him with a hand under her chin. "You don't have to be scared Raven. You won't hurt me. How could you hurt me?" Before she could answer his lips met hers softly making Raven gasp at the contact, she had never been kissed before by anyone but her parents when they used to put her to bed. To be met with such tenderness was strange to her but not unwelcome, to feel such emotion in such a small gesture. When she didn't pull away he pulled her against him placing one hand on the small of her back and the other between her shoulder blades while hers cautiously moved to wind around his neck. After only a moment or two but what felt like ages she pulled back slightly letting his forehead rest against hers as she bit her lip with a nervous smile. Draco smiled back in a way that lit up his eyes. Raven felt her cheeks reddening.

Draco felt something soft brush against his thigh and looked down to see what looked like a sleek black cat tail flicking lightly over his leg. Raven looked as well and blushed even more. Draco looked back at her and chuckled. "Is this part of being a shape-shifter?" he asked.

Raven nodded. "I knew this would happen. I can't control it." She tried to justify it but Draco stopped when he brushed his hand against her cat tail feeling the soft fur between his fingers making a shiver run down Ravens spine. "You don't think it's...weird or anything?"

Draco smirked and continued to play with the tail as it flicked around his hand and wrist making Raven shiver again. "I think it's quite cute and so are they." he said in a low voice indicated to the top of her head where a matching pair of cat like ears had appeared within her black curly hair. She giggled quietly.

About an hour later it had gotten dark and the two of them had missed dinner but neither seemed to care as they sat together by the lake; Draco sat on the ground with his back against the log and Raven lead down next to him, her head resting on his lap tail still flicking lazily around as Draco ran his hand over it gently. The only light came from the moon reflecting off the lake which gave the area an ethereal quality to it.

The two students were content. They had needed no words to convey how they both felt so it was left unsaid but not unknown. Two seemingly very different people who really had a lot in common. Both had secrets they had never shared but shared with each other about themselves and there family. It seemed foolish to believe that what they felt was truly love, but that was what both believed it was or would become, even a blind man could see how they had come to feel for each other in the short time they'd been friends.

A distant chime startled to two of them as the grand Hogwarts clock struck 9. "We had better be getting back." Raven said sleepily at seeing the time. She stood up slowly and stretched languidly reminding Draco of a cat after it had been asleep. He stood up as well and made to embrace her when she turned to him and said, "Race you back." before sprinting off towards the castle. They both laughed as they raced back to the castle Raven winning by the smallest of margins despite her head start. Both out of breath but on a high they made there way quietly through the castle until they made it to the entrance of the dungeons.

"I'll see you tomorrow then." Draco said more of a statement than a question as he held her close.

"Definitely." Raven answered pressing her lips lightly to his in a quick good bye. Not happy with the simple kiss Draco deepened the kiss pressing his lips more firmly against hers.

When he reluctantly released her Raven almost ran to her common room, only to be greeted by a rather pissed off Harry Potter sitting by the fire. "Where have you been?" he asked not looking at her.

"Oh, no where in particular." Raven told him before walking calmly up to her dormitory.

_Strange _Harry thought as he thought about how his sister had acted. _She just gets weirder everyday._

Her dorm mates ignored her as usual when she entered but surprisingly it didn't bother her as she got changed and went to bed.

_In her dreams she was sat by a lake strong arms around her, her head on his shoulder looking up at silvery eyes and platinum hair as he looked back at her not in fear or disgust but with love and compassion. She dreamed of freedom but this time she wasn't alone, he ran beside her through the trees keeping pace and never looking back._


End file.
